Some insight into Wand vs Liddell

[Panzerfaust]

Credit goes to Josh Gross:



Since Saturday, when it was announced PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) would fight UFC champion Chuck Liddell (Pictures) in November, speculation has run rampant as to the motivations of mixed martial arts’ most prominent promoters, which after three years finally agreed to what appears to be this sport’s first true world title bout.

While the path towards Dana White’s decision remains cloudy, PRIDE’s reasoning has become clear.

As little as two months ago, PRIDE reigned atop the MMA heap. It had launched the largest tournament of the year; been awarded a date to promote its first Stateside card; enjoyed a prosperous deal with its Japanese broadcast partner; and held in its stable the finest collection of mixed martial artists in the world.

The probability, it seemed, of PRIDE and UFC — and thus many of the world’s preeminent fighters — coming together was so small, it could only be found through quantum mechanics.

But then allegations began to spread about PRIDE’s top brass being involved with shady figures in the Japanese underworld. The press was bad and Fuji TV, due in large measure to its own set of unfortunate events, flipped the switch on PRIDE, removing anything from the ship it perceived as a drag. Adding insult to injury, for the first time in a long time a top-tier fighter, Quinton Jackson (Pictures), fled to another organization during his free agency period.

Yet, said one high-ranking PRIDE executive, through adversity comes opportunity.

Though many on the outside saw Fuji TV’s severed relationship with PRIDE as the death knell for the promotion, those on the inside believed that a unique opportunity had presented itself.

No longer hamstrung by television executives that often had as much say in matchmaking as PRIDE officials, DSE was free to do what it wished.

Believing the UFC holds an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the American market share, said the same PRIDE official, the promoter had two options if it wanted to flourish while establishing itself in the U.S.: Strike a deal with the No. 1 company or partner with its competitors.

With new kids on the block — Strikeforce, the World Fighting Alliance (which signed Jackson away from PRIDE) and the International Fight League (which continues to be embroiled in lawsuits with the UFC) — and established events — King of the Cage, et al — grappling for the remaining market share, PRIDE moved for the latter.

That meant a serious discussion was underway to send one of the best fighters in the organization’s history to battle someone of equal standing on the other side of the world. Just a month ago, a deal was struck.

It’s basic Marketing 101 stuff, said the PRIDE executive.

If the UFC’s presence in America was about half of what it is today, an alliance with the third and fourth competitors (PRIDE considers itself the second biggest MMA promoter that does business in the U.S.) might have paid off. But since the Las Vegas-based company has so effectively branded UFC as mixed martial arts in this country, the smart move was to work directly with Zuffa.

Relative to what it could gain — an increased market share from 18 to somewhere near 25 percent, DSE said — PRIDE appears to be risking very little.

Silva remains under exclusive PRIDE contract, meaning he fights where and when DSE officials tell him. The UFC will pay his purse in November. And a loss would not officially remove him from the belt.

The UFC, it seems, is the one gambling in this scenario.

It was widely reported that the UFC again topped the Yahoo! Buzz charts after Saturday’s UFC 61 Pay-Per-View, yet few mentioned that because of his presence on the broadcast the number of searches on Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) increased an astronomical 444 percent — head and shoulders the biggest gain of any search on Yahoo! related to the UFC.

For an organization that has struggled to market itself to the American audience, last weekend, from an awareness standpoint, may well have been worth the decision on its own.

Over the past six days Silva has received far more attention in the U.S. than he ever had before, and PRIDE is the company that will reap the early returns with its Open-Weight Grand Prix Pay-Per-View on September 10.

More important, the PRIDE executive explained, if this arrangement works the way DSE hopes it will, the Japanese company will have insured its future for the next 20 to 30 years while establishing its legacy as a standard bearer when people look back in a century’s time.

And what does the UFC gain? If Liddell wins, a ton of credibility. But should he falter, a Super Bowl mega card the company has tabbed as its first 1 million-plus Pay-Per-View could fall into peril. Though some have speculated this is an opportunity for the UFC to increase its presence on WOWOW!, the promotion’s Japanese broadcast partner, that hardly seems worth the roll of the dice.

Yes, Silva will fight Liddell on the UFC’s home turf under rules preferred by the UFC. There won’t be a co-promotion. All profits will belong to Zuffa.

But is this all that Zuffa has garnered because of this monumental agreement?

That is one of many questions that remain about the genesis of Liddell vs. Silva and why, at this moment in the sport’s history, these two promotions have come together.

One thing is clear, however: competition breeds innovation. And that is a good thing, for everyone involved, particularly PRIDE.

[USfighterFC]

I read that earlier. That pic is just hilarious. Silva looks the the kid who was always pissed off in the family reunion photos.

[Logan13]

I read that earlier. That pic is just hilarious. Silva looks the the kid who was always pissed off in the family reunion photos.

Yes, the guy has a serious mongoloid head. I bet that he can give one hell of a headbutt...This fight is going to be awesome.

[USfighterFC]

Yes, the guy has a serious mongoloid head. I bet that he can give one hell of a headbutt...This fight is going to be awesome.

Watch his vale tudo fight with artur mariano....he throws some vicious headbutts.....even when his eye was cut open he just kept going and going.....after that fight i said that silva was one sick bastard.

[Box This*]

Watch his vale tudo fight with artur mariano....he throws some vicious headbutts.....even when his eye was cut open he just kept going and going.....after that fight i said that silva was one sick bastard.

I realy cant see chuck beating wandy...as you say hes one sick bloke.

[Coop77]

This fight gives me a boner.

[sonar1234]

This fight in UFC is a great idea, and i am gonna buy the ppv cause i gotta see this.

I dont care about Chuck at all, i just wanna see Wandy beat him up silly.

Wandy is so damn fast and elbows are gonna be allowed.